Purtscher1 observed and described a rather peculiar lesion of the retina following serious concussions; he named it angiopathia retinae traumatica or lymphorrhagia retinae. Through his work attention has been focused on the subject. There are reports of similar observations, especially in the German literature; however, these observations are not numerous. In 1921, Vogt and Knüsel2 mentioned only ten cases among thirteen eyes examined.

In Purtscher's first case the condition was caused when the patient fell from a roof; loss of consciousness for six days resulted. The eyegrounds showed rather interesting changes. The margins of the disk were sharp, and the disk was somewhat pale. In the macular region a delicate irregularity of the surface was noted ; in the retina of both eyes, along the course of the larger vessels, there were numerous bright, white, shiny plaques. The spots varied in size, from half the size of the disk